Allison: Doubly important to get 2024 car good

F1 will have new power units for 2026 and beyond, with the MGU-H being dropped, something that encourage Audi to join the sport as they believe the new for 2026 power units are more road relevant.

The cars designs, while still nothing clear yet, will also change with talk about active aerodynamics, which means teams will have to start work early on their 2026 designs, with 2025 being mostly reserved for the development of the new cars and their power units.

That according to James Allison means the 2025 single seaters will be based on their 2024 predecessors, meaning Mercedes have to make sure they do not mess up their W15 or they will be stuck with a bad car for two years.

Allison, quoted by Motorsport.com, discussed Mercedes development plans for the W15, which will not have the slim sidepod design, elaborating on Lewis Hamilton's statement that Mercedes had six critical months ahead of them in terms of car development.

"It'll be a different car for one thing. So, we won't be working with this one," Allison said. "[Lewis] is correct in two senses: it's a new season; it's important that we get off the new season on the front foot.

"But more than averagely so because with 2026 bearing down on us, that car will need to be engineered in 2025," the Mercedes tech boss pointed out. "It's highly likely that the 2025 cars can be close cousins of the 2024 cars. So doubly important to get the 2024 car good."

Allison, who switched roles with Mike Elliott - the man in charge of the Mercedes mess in 2022 and 2023 - claimed it won't take too much time to find out if the W15 is a decent piece of kit.

He explained: "Over the years, most of the good cars that I've been lucky enough to be around while they've happened, the driver gets in and doesn't exactly say, ‘Spend your bonus’, but they more or less do.

"Unlocking potential is not really something that takes very long if the car is well born. And that will be the aim of this one.

"It's not particular to us but it does sharpen your focus, wanting to make sure that we have a car that gives us a good run in to 2026 as well as good championships and the fun that that brings," Allison concluded.

Mercedes are locked in a fight with Ferrari for second place in the 2023 F1 Constructors' Championship, the latter 28 points behind in third.